RIT/NTID, The Strong present Deaf Day of Play March 20

Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and The Strong have partnered to celebrate Deaf Awareness Month with a Deaf Day of Play at the museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 20.

Students from NTID’s Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education will provide ASL assistance at the museum’s admissions desk and its Skyline Climb high adventure course throughout the day. Free ASL tours of the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden will take place every hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. General museum admission fees apply.

“Play is universal, and The Strong strives to always make the museum accessible to people of all abilities,” said Steve Dubnik, president and CEO of The Strong. “The Deaf Day of Play gives us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Deaf Awareness Month and provide students from the renowned National Technical Institute for the Deaf a real-world opportunity to practice their skills. Education is at the heart of everything that we do.”

The interpreting students who will be providing communication support during the Deaf Day of Play will be graduating at the end of the academic year and will earn course credit as well as experience applying the knowledge and skills they have gained during their four-year bachelor’s degree program. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with The Strong Museum for the first Deaf Day of Play,” said Gerry Buckley, NTID president and RIT vice president and dean. “Rochester and the surrounding area continue to show great support to our students and the Deaf community, and the Deaf Day of Play is another example of what an open and inclusive region we live in. We hope this event will become a yearly tradition as we celebrate Deaf Awareness Month.”   

ASL interpreters will be provided for the Deaf Day of Play. Additional accommodations, such as DeafBlind requests, should be made by March 11 to Cathy DeBellis, cdebellis@museumofplay.org.